Developing Ego Strengths in Fragile Patients:
How to use the therapeutic relationship
This program was presented on February 10, 2007
Presenter: Kees Cornelissen, Soc.D.
Increasing Anxiety Regulation in the Patient
Dr. Cornelissen will give a videotape presentation of his work with two fragile patients who suffer from major character pathology and very low ego capacity. In the first case he will show how he develops ego strengths in fragile patients, especially how to increase the patient's ability to regulate anxiety more effectively. He will focus on the resistance against emotional closeness as a first step in order to help the patient develop a therapeutic relationship.
Helping Patients Overcome Projection
In the second videotape case he will show step by step how to help patients recognize projection and overcome that defense in the session. First he will focus on the symptoms of projection as presented by a patient who lives in a world of projections. Then Dr. Cornelissen will illustrate the necessary steps one needs to take to undo projection and make the patient strong enough to face the content of his trauma in a titrated and bearable manner. This process will be illustrated in detail in the videotaped case.
Biography
Kees L.M. Cornelissen, Soc. D, is a sociologist and a psychotherapist from Amsterdam. He works at the Center for Psychotherapy "De Viersprong" in the Netherlands and has developed the application of residential ISTDP. He is on the faculty of the Dutch Association for Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy and has presented internationally. He is also a trainer within the Dutch Society for Client-Centered and Group-Psychotherapy.
Dr. Cornelissen is most famous for his work with severely character disordered patients. At De Viersprong he works with patients who suffer the effects of severe trauma, personality disorders, comorbidity, multiple somatic complaints, and very low GAF scores. He will describe some of his work within this treatment program for personality disorders. The treatment procedures presented here can be applied to outpatient, inpatient, and residential treatment as well. This is his first all day presentation in the United States.